Velidhoo residents protest doubled electricity bills, demand transformer and utility works

The residents of N. Velidhoo protested in front of Fenaka on Wednesday over the doubling of their electricity bills.

The protesters held posters with various slogans in front of the Velidhoo Fenaka office.

When contacted by Sun, Velidhoo Council President Athif Hussain said the electricity bills of some households on the island have doubled to MVR 8,000 and MVR 9,000.

Noting that some residents have protested in the past, Athif said Wednesday’s protest was not only over the high electricity bills. The protesters also called for the completion of the transformers and the construction of water and sewerage connections.

Athif said the construction of newly connected transformer huts on the island was started by the previous government, but only one hut has been completed so far, and that one is being used by Fenaka employees.

In addition, there are more than 100 houses on the island that still need to be connected to water and sewerage.

STELCO and Fenaka customers have been expressing concern over the increase in electricity bills last month.

Especially after paying only MVR 400 with the Ramadan discount, many people are questioning how the bill increased so sharply.

Fenaka has said there is no issue with the billing process. The company said the increase is due to higher electricity generation during the hot season.

In an interview with PSM, Fenaka Chief Technical Officer Abdullah Nashith said the meters used by Fenaka are properly calibrated and readings are taken correctly.

He said the hottest months in Maldives are March and April, and electricity bills rise every summer as temperatures increase.

Earlier, Fenaka said it would review problematic bills for its customers. At the time, the company said it would provide assistance if any bill appeared incorrect and required further verification of the readings.